So as the title of this site may hint, I am scheduled to graduate high school in 2015. But apparently in order to do that I need a certain amount of credits earned by June of 2015 in order to do so. I'd hope that my school has been keeping track of this, and as a result can provide guidance as to what I should do as a course of action to that aim.
I am still in talks about my schedule for next year. It's July 13th.
I am not sure how complicated the process is, I understand that building a master schedule is extremely difficult (this per our superintendent) but what about for an individual. Two facts I want to make sure are there: Fact 1) I graduate in 2015. Fact 2) I don't need to go to summer school or something to make up credits.
Should seem like reasonable requests, but I'm not certain of anything. Scheduling has changed hands twice since I entered the 7th grade, and thrice since my fourth grade year. I guess more than anything I'm just frustrated. I'm not that difficult of a case - I have scholars/honours level courses and want to maintain some arts program (which is in conflict with a separate choice, which I understand).
Now there's a movement to fix the scheduling coming from the fine arts department, which I can respect, considering I am the announcer for the Marching band, am a two year member of the Guys Ensemble, four year member of the chorus, and my brother is in the band, But I think the issue isn't unique to the arts. I think it's a system wide issue, where I can't even get a straight answer as to how many credits I have earned IN THE SAME SCHOOL.
Education is a unique industry in that people who have gone through it run it and the people in it have no control over it, and are at the mercy of people who were elected to make sure the industry works.
No Child Left Behind was a good theory - let's try to standardize education so students everywhere get the same (ideally the best) education. But it was poorly executed. Instead of building a common set of curriculum or books or something, it was executed through testing.
And now it appears to me that that's what it's boiled down to. I'm worried about getting enough credits to graduate with my class when I'm labeled "gifted" and the district is worried about attaining a certain AYP status through (in my honest opinion) bogus tests.
So what am I proposing? Well, I'm not overly qualified to propose anything considering I'm still in the system. But I will anyway.
I think that educators and legislators should get together and create a nation wide common core. This would leave things like scheduling and the sort to the individual districts, and the 'AYP' stuff is no longer a benchmark, but something that is used as a tool to better the education of all.
The sad thing is, there isn't one "right" or "proven" way to protest, or to get the attention of the people in power. Sometimes standing up, other times sitting down and more often than not people need to be violent and loud to get the attention the issue deserves.
This is an issue that I think needs to be resolved, but what do I know? I'm just a junior in high school.
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